SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 2/18/2016
9:55 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Prayer for
the Work of God PT-1
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Habakkuk
3:1-2
Message of
the verses: “1 A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth. 2
LORD, I have heard the report about You and I fear. O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the
years, In the midst of the years make it known; In wrath remember mercy.”
As with the rest of the book of Habakkuk the third
chapter is written in Hebrew poetry, However this 3rd chapter is a
prayer psalm, and it is possible that is was used in the temple worship in
Jerusalem. Dr. Wiersbe has an end note
on the word “Shigionoth” “We don’t know what the Hebrew word ‘Shigionoth’
means. Some scholars trace it to a root
that means ‘to reel to and fro,’ so perhaps ‘Shigionoth’ was a musical term
that told the people how the psalm was to be sung. Three times in the psalm you find ‘Selah’
(vv. 3, 9, 13), another Hebrew word whose meaning and significance are still a
mystery. Some say it marks a pause in
the psalm for the reader (or singer and listeners) to ponder what was said.”
If you would like to read other prayer Psalms you
can look at Psalms 17; 86; 90; 102; and 142, as they too are prayer
psalms. As we look at these first two
verses we see that Habakkuk was no longer arguing with the Lord, but praying to
Him, which shows the progress in his trust in the Lord. As I was listening to the entire book of
Habakkuk I noticed the word “why” used in it.” Hab 1:3 Why do You make me see iniquity, And cause
me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence are before me; Strife
exists and contention arises. Hab 1:13
Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on
wickedness with favor. Why
do You look with favor On those who deal treacherously? Why are You
silent when the wicked swallow up Those more righteous than they? Hab 1:14 Why have You made men like the fish of the sea, Like
creeping things without a ruler over them?”
Now at this point in his book Habakkuk is not asking “why” but is
trusting in the Lord. We have also seen
that God did not chastise Habakkuk for asking the questions that he asked, but
was very patient with him and now Habakkuk shows a great trust in the Lord to
do what He wants to do and not to question Him.
In verse two we see the word in the NASB Bible ‘report’
and this speaks of the things that God had told him in 2:2-3 “2 Then the LORD
answered me and said, "Record the vision And inscribe it on tablets, That
the one who reads it may run. 3 “For the vision is yet for the appointed time;
It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for
it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.”
Dr. Wiersbe writes “Knowing the will of God should
motivate us to pray ‘Thy will be done.’
The same God who ordains the end also ordains the means to the end, and
prayer is an important part of that means.
‘You do not have because you do not ask’ (James 4:2 NKJV).” When Jesus was in the garden praying He asked
His Father if it were possible to take the cup away from Him, and then went on
to pray “Not my will by Your will.”
Jesus knew that God had sent Him to earth to complete a task and even
though the Father could have caused Him not to go to the cross, Jesus wanted to
do the task that He came to earth to do, and so even though it meant pain and
suffering, and worst of all being separated from the Father for those dark
hours when the Father was taking His wrath out on Him for our sins, Jesus
wanted to do the Father’s will. We see
that Habakkuk is understanding that he needs to submit to the Father’s will
too. Another thing that this section
causes me to think of is the prayer of Daniel in the 9th chapter of
Daniel as Daniel was not only confessing the sins of the nation of Israel, and
also His sins, but he was praying for God to do something that he knew that God
planned on doing and this has caused me to pray for things that are promised in
the Word of God to do. One of the things
that I pray for often is for God to prepare, even now what the 144,000 Jewish
evangelists will do during the tribulation period. One day in heaven or during the Millennial
Kingdom I want to tell some of those men that I prayed for them even before
they became believers in the Lord.
Now because this section is rather long, we will
continue it in our next SD, which I hope will be tonight as I did not get to do
one last night because of computer problems.
2/18/2016 10:25 AM
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